Truly Home
by Mickey Seraphin
Summary: Lisanna has returned to Earth Land, but her relationship with Natsu hasn't picked up where they left off. When they (along with Happy, of course) are asked to go on a mission together, it seems like the perfect opportunity for them to reignite the embers - too perfect, in fact. Natsu/Lisanna.
1. Chapter 1

_It's my first time taking on a Fairy Tail fic, and I had to go with my favorite pairing: Natsu and Lisanna. The two just have such a cute backstory, and I do find it a shame that there's been no real development in their relationship since her return from Edolas. Of course, this is where I can use the magic of fanfiction, to pick up where their past left off. So, for anyone who enjoys this couple like me, or are just looking for a nice fic to read, then I really hope you enjoy._

_As far as time frame goes, I'm placing this story just a few weeks after the Edolas arc, but before the S-Class Quest arc._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail._

* * *

"Alright! Time for a new job!" Natsu exclaimed, bursting through the doors of the guild hall with his signature fervor.

"Aye, sir!" Happy replied, flying beside him as he marched towards the request board.

The guild wasn't yet abuzz with the usual liveliness, giving way to the few members dotting the tables enjoying their breakfast in peace. Natsu couldn't remember the last time he'd arrived so early in the morning; Nab wasn't even in his usual post in front of the request board yet. Instead, it was a feminine figure, with short, white hair, looking up at the jobs with her hands behind her back.

"Good morning, Natsu, Happy," Lisanna greeted them with a smile as they stopped beside her. "You sure seem energetic today."

The Dragon Slayer nodded with a grin. "It's been too long since I've taken on a mission! I'm all fired up!" he said, wisps of flame escaping from the corners of his lips.

Lisanna giggled, tempering his passion. It was the same musical sound that he remembered so clearly, having replayed it in his mind for the two years that she'd been gone.

"You know, I haven't seen Lucy or Gray for two days now. Do you know where they've been? What about Wendy and Carla?" she asked thoughtfully, stroking the fur on Happy's head as he purred blissfully.

Natsu shrugged. "I haven't seen them around, either. I've checked out the town and asked around the guild, but no one knows where they've gone - not even Erza. But this not doing stuff is boring! I'm not gonna wait around any more while Lucy's out being weird somewhere, and Gray's creeping other people out with his nudity!"

"They probably ran away together," Happy said with huge grin. "They must be in _looove_!"

A bloodcurdling shriek rang out from the front of the hall, drawing their attention. Juvia, who had just walked in, used her Gray-centered selective hearing to pick up on their exchange. Naturally, she stormed right back out, a cloud of steam trailing her, screaming something about destroying a blonde bimbo.

Natsu turned back to his childhood friend, her eyebrows raised as she continued to stare at the now-empty doorway. "Are you looking to get a job, too?" he asked conversationally.

"I was just browsing," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm still getting back into the swings of things here, catching up on things that I missed out on while I was gone. Even though Mira keeps suggesting I start taking on a few jobs, I haven't been on any at all since I returned."

For a second, he thought about asking her if she'd like to take on a mission together with him and Happy. Struggling to make up his mind as he was caught in her embarrassed smile, he began to feel words being formed in his throat. Unsure of what they would be, he was thankful when they were subdued by a loud clanking of metal that was heard approaching.

A nervous-looking Erza walked up them, her stride uncharacteristically stiff, the aura around her heavy. They stared at her expectantly, but for a moment she only stood immobilized with pursed lips. Finally, she sucked in a lungful of air.

"Natsu I was thinking that we should accept this job that just came in but since Lucy and Gray and Wendy aren't here I decided I won't be going either so it'll just be you and Happy oh hello Lisanna how are you why don't you go with them?!" she shouted quickly and unevenly, breaking all kinds of personal space (and not to mention grammatical) rules.

"Are you feeling okay, Erza?" Lisanna asked with concern, Happy trembling behind her, watery eyes peeking over her shoulder.

"She's finally lost it! Run away before she eats us all!" he screamed with the fear of death.

"I'm fine! Never better!" she said unconvincingly, her cheeks red as her hair, forehead glistening with perspiration. "So will you take this job together or not?!"

"Alright, alright! Just calm down!" Natsu said, thankful for the interruption no more. He took a step back he hoped she wouldn't close the distance on. Flashbacks of the beatings she used to give him as children raced before his eyes.

Erza let out a sigh of relief, then looked over at the bar counter. Mirajane, who had been washing mugs in preparation for the arrival of the drinking hours, beamed at her, giving her a not-so-clandestine wink and a thumbs-up.

"Here," she said, returning more to the form of the strongest woman in Fairy Tail. She held out a piece of paper, a request flyer written in a beautiful cursive style. "This is the job I mentioned. You should find it to your liking."

Natsu, Lisanna and Happy read from the paper: _'A gang of wild beasts is running amok and threatening to sabotage a grand feast! 75,000 Jewel will be rewarded to those that stop this gang, as well as an invitation to the feast as guests of honor.'_

"Fighting and food. This does sound like your kind of job, Natsu," the youngest of the Strauss siblings commented with a smile. "What do you think?"

"Hmm," Natsu said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "Normally I'd have a tough time saying no to work like this, but check out this job here! There's an evil witch named Rita Repulsa who's -"

"No!" Erza roared, reverting back to her uneasy, hysteric state of a moment ago. She hammered the request form in her hand onto Natsu's head with the power of an armor-reinforced train. "You'll be taking this job, and I won't hear of anything else! Is that understood?!"

"Aye!" the trio cried, quivering as they saluted, the paper unsticking from Natsu's face to reveal a swollen red bruise sprouting from his head.

Once again, Erza exhaled loudly, then made her way over to the bar. She slumped in her seat, Mira giving her a comforting pat on the hand as she went on about the wonderful job she did.

Lisanna picked up the flyer, reading the details of their newly-accepted mission in the smaller print. "Whoever is requesting this mission isn't leaving much room for error. It says here that the feast is scheduled for tomorrow night."

Natsu smirked, punching his palm in anticipation. "That's plenty of time for us to find and take care of those beasts!" He then paused, hoping he wasn't getting ahead of himself. "Wait... so, you'll do it? You'll come with us?" he asked sheepishly, aiming his gaze on the sleeve design of her Heart Kreuz shirt.

She smiled, also avoiding eye contact, directing her sights out across the tables. "For two years, I thought that I'd never be able to go on a job with you again," she said, her voice light but unwavering. "How can I say no?"

The scarlet tint on their cheeks went unnoticed as neither looked up at the other, also letting Happy get away with suppressing his smug chuckling. The Exceed couldn't resist spoiling the moment, however, by reading a key detail from atop Lisanna's head that hadn't yet been mentioned. "The feast is in Hargeon. You know what that means, Natsu!"

The color drained from the fire mage's face. "Nooo!" he cried, gripping at his hair in despair as he sank to his knees.

"Um, what does that mean, exactly?" Lisanna asked as Happy floated off her head.

"Don't you remember his terrible motion sickness?" Happy asked cheerily. "Just look at how he gets by even thinking about riding the trains!"

"Oh, that's right," she said softly as he groaned on the floor, sweating profusely with his cheeks ballooning to triple in size. With the Natsu back in Edolas only seeming inspired behind the wheel of a vehicle, she'd almost forgotten how the boy she'd grown up with despised them so.

Taking her response as disappointment, Natsu felt his resolve begin to stir. He weakly climbed to his feet, trying his best to put his game face on. If he could withstand all the punishment he'd taken from superpowered bad guys time and time again, he could board those damned trains once more for Lisanna's sake. No way he was going to let her down.

"If you really wanna take this job, we don't have to ride the trains there," Lisanna offered kindly. "Hargeon's only a day away on foot from Magnolia, if you don't mind walking."

Immediately, his face lit up, shedding any evidence of having been ill just a second ago. "Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah," she answered, smiling back at his reaction. "Even walking, we can get there with time to spare. As long as we don't run into any trouble, we should arrive around this time tomorrow if we leave within the hour."

"Then what're we waiting for? Let's go!" he said, linking arms with her, causing a cute yelp, before rushing towards the guild doors.

"Wait a sec! We're gonna need a few things if we're gonna be camping out tonight!"

**\- 0 -**

Half an hour later, Natsu and Happy came up to the Fairy Hills dormitories, expecting to wait for their female companion. Instead, they found Lisanna sitting atop the stairway, gazing out into the sky with a pleasant look on her face. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to leave for a mission without any kind of delay.

Hearing his footsteps, she turned in their direction, smiling when she spotted them. "What took you guys so long?"

"Normally we're the ones asking that," Happy said, flying back onto her head. "I thought girls liked making boys wait. Lucy and Erza do it to us all the time."

"You better hope that Wendy doesn't pick up on that habit," she smirked. She grabbed the dark green backpack beside her, with a sleeping bag mounted on top, slinging it over her shoulder as she stood. "So, you're ready to go?"

Natsu smirked in response, a similarly set-up bag on his back. "Always!"

For the first three-hour leg of the trip, Natsu and Happy recounted some of the missions they'd taken since she'd been gone. She listened intently to their colorful narrations, content in letting them do most of the talking. Before any of them knew it, they were well past the outskirts of Magnolia, deep along the path in the verdant East Forest.

Feeling good about their progress so far, they stopped for a quick lunch in a sunny clearing. Natsu and Lisanna enjoyed a variety of fruits she'd brought along, while Happy nibbled on a fish. Just as they were packing up their remaining food, Natsu suddenly bristled, looking over his shoulder with a frown.

"Someone's coming," he said in a low voice. He sniffed the air for confirmation, his scowl deepening when he realized who it was.

Lisanna heard the grass rustling a few seconds later, the intruder approaching. Natsu's reaction worried her, so she prepared for the worst as a figure appeared through the trees.

"It's you!" the Salamander snarled.

"No way! It's Natsu and Happy and Lisanna! Coool!" exclaimed a roughshod Jason, the reporter for Sorcerer Weekly Magazine. His clothes were in tatters and the camera around his neck was missing a considerable chunk, but his face was in an elated grin despite the cuts and bruises.

"What're you doing all the way out here?" Natsu demanded.

"Shouldn't you be writing about how he always destroys everything?" Happy asked, sounding less accusing than his best friend.

Lisanna breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out their intruder was the relatively-harmless reporter. She'd never met him personally, but apart from Elfman having declared him not a real man, her siblings had never spoken of him in a negative light. Natsu, however, looked about as angry as the time she and Mira had used their magic to prank him as a child, transforming into (fully-clothed, thankfully) copies of Gray.

"I was walking down the street two days ago when I saw Wendy and Carla and Gajeel and Pantherlily - man that was so coool! - and so I approached them for an interview. They were talking about a super-secret plan, though, so I stayed hidden to get the scoop!" the journalist said, twitching with excitement.

"A super-secret plan?" Natsu echoed, frowning. All kinds of possibilities swam through his head as to what that could mean. Was it possible that they had found a way to locate their missing foster dragons? Was he going to turn on Fairy Tail and called on her to be a cute spy no one would ever suspect? Or did Gajeel intend to use Wendy for a Dragon Slayer duet when he next performed one of his lame songs at the guild?

"Yeah! I never got to hear what it was, though, because when they caught me eavesdropping, Gajeel punched me right out of Magnolia and into this forest! It was so coool!" Jason exclaimed, practically losing his mind.

"And you've been lost here ever since?" Lisanna surmised. "It's no wonder you look the way you do."

In a flash, Jason moved right in front of the girl, eyeing her with unabashed fanaticism. "I've been waiting for the chance to interview you, Lisanna! I'd love to get the story on how you came back to life - and have you pose for a bikini photoshoot, of course! I just know the readers will love you as much as your sister! You'd be the covergirl for sure! What do you say?"

Suddenly, Natsu's rage spiked. The thought of her posing for this guy made his blood boil, and it was obvious to him from the crowded expression on her face that she wanted no part of it, either.

"Happy," he asked, his voice dangerously tranquil, "just so I've got my bearings straight, Magnolia's that way, right?"

"Aye," the flying cat replied cheerfully, knowing what was coming next.

With a flaming fist, Natsu struck Jason with an uppercut, launching him into the sky with a trajectory aimed for their fair town. Naturally, all that was heard from the reporter as he soared away was a grand "Coool!"

Before Lisanna could ask if that was really necessary, Natsu picked up her backpack and held it out to her. "Here," he said, smiling gently. "Let's keep going."

As they pressed forward, it became Lisanna's turn to be the storyteller. She explained what it was like to have lived in Edolas for two years, and how it had taken her some time to get used to the radically-different personalities of the counterparts of the people she'd grown up with. The culture shock, of course, was applied again when she returned to Earth Land and met the versions of the friends she'd only known in Edolas.

"I always felt so bad for Gray, getting rejected all the time by Juvia. I know it's awful of me to think this way, but it is strangely amusing to see the shoe being on the other foot here," she commented. "And I love Lucy, but I am a little relieved that this one isn't such a handful."

"You really don't know this Lucy very well," Happy said.

She smiled. "I am glad that you guys are so close here, too. At least that still makes sense."

"Yeah," Natsu replied simply, hands behind his head.

For a moment, the three went without words, their rhythmic footsteps being all to keep the silence at bay. He wondered why she'd stopped talking, and was about to ask her to go on with more stories from Edolas before she spoke again.

"Do you... _like_, Lucy?"

Natsu stared at her with a confused look. "Well, yeah, I like her. I mean, I wouldn't have formed a team with her if I didn't, and even then, she's a part of Fairy Tail. I'm not sure why you'd ask, though; you just said you know we're close."

Happy stifled his giggling. "That's not what she means!" he said past his paws. "She's asking if you _looove_ her!"

Stopping in their tracks, both of their faces flushed red. "No!" Natsu cried, waving his hands frantically. "Lucy might remind me a little of you, but I don't like her like that!"

"Wait... What?" Lisanna asked, turning to him, her blush prominent against her porcelain skin. Did her ears deceive her? Did he not mean to word what he said that way? Or did he just let something critical slip out without realizing it?

"Well..." he began, finding a pebble on the dirt path to speak to. "She's got the same adventurous spirit that you do. Every time we go on a mission, no matter how much she complains, she has this excitement in her eyes. She enjoys every second of what we do at Fairy Tail, and it reminds me of how... alive you were, before I thought you'd died."

Lisanna's heart was beating faster than normal. With his superior hearing, he was able to pick up on it, even with everything else that sounded around the forest. It was definitive proof that she was alive, and the guilt that he'd felt in not embracing her back into his life fully since her return was amplified in his own chest.

She walked up to him, unaware of what her intentions were as he still hadn't looked away from the ground. He felt her arm link with his, something that had been so common between them when they were kids. Instantly, he was filled with a warmth that hadn't coursed through him for two years.

"Come on." Lisanna was beaming at him when he finally looked up. "Let's keep going."

**\- 0 -**

The stars came out in full force after the sun fell. Natsu couldn't remember the last time he'd seen so many of the twinkling lights in the night sky. Their illumination almost made the fire he built when they decided to set up camp for the evening unnecessary. Still, the crackling flames served a purpose in cooking their dinner. He almost included fish to the grill to incite the wrath of Happy, but fortunately Lisanna was there to play mediator.

"How do you like it?" she asked as Natsu tore into his drumstick. She'd brought along seasonings to add to their meal, the ones she remembered he really enjoyed when she used to cook for him and his cat.

"It's great!" he said, chomping away without slowing down.

"We really missed your food!" Happy exclaimed, his mouth equally full of uncooked but spiced fish. "No one else makes it as yummy as you!"

After they finished eating, they unrolled their sleeping bags, Happy settling in the modest space between the young wizards. He soon drifted into sleep, curled up in a ball as he softly snored, but Natsu and Lisanna remained sitting on opposite sides of the campfire.

Their eyes see-sawed between the burning collection of logs, and the flickering shadows it cast on their faces. Neither had spoken since Happy tucked himself away, but it was an pleasant quiet. Both had things they wanted to say, but it being just the two of them, after so long, they could enjoy the other's company in silence for just a moment.

"I'm really glad we took this mission," Lisanna said finally. "I guess it was lucky Erza came up to us with that job request when she did, huh?"

Natsu nodded with a grin. "I'm glad, too. And we haven't even seen any action yet!"

She giggled in response. "You did punch that reporter, remember?"

"Eh, that doesn't really count."

Another second passed before Lisanna stood up, and walked around the fire to sit back down beside Natsu. He wasn't sure how to react to the sudden change in proximity, but despite hating to be passive, he waited for her make a move first.

She linked their arms together once again. He was initially stiff, but soon relaxed against her skin. She always favored crossing her left arm with his right, so their guild marks would face each other, like matching tattoos. Despite having lost her original red mark, the symbolism behind the way she'd connect their arms remained.

"I'm really happy to be back," she whispered.

"I'm really happy you're back, too," he replied just as quietly. "And... I'm sorry, Lisanna."

"What for?" she asked, confused.

Natsu stared at her arm, the precise spot where her old mark had been. The missing ink it once bore spurred him into finally saying what he'd kept inside for weeks now. "Because ever since you returned from Edolas, I haven't been there for you. Not like before."

"That's okay," she said, watching the fire. "I understand. You're a part of a team, that's who you spend most of your time with -"

"It's not okay," he growled at himself. He turned to her, and she was unable to keep her eyes from his anymore. "When I thought you died, everything changed. For awhile, I hated going to the guild because everyone was sad and felt sorry for Mira and Elfman and me. If we were in the building, no one wanted to fight - Gray would even be nice to me. Eventually, I snapped and punched him in the face to start what Gramps called the biggest brawl in Fairy Tail history. That's when I felt things finally starting to get back to normal, even if they wouldn't be the same.

"A few months after that, I met Lucy, and it was thanks to her that I was having a blast at the guild again. Happy and I started going on all these fun jobs with her and Gray and Erza. I just wished that you were there having fun with us, too - and then you came back. But instead of welcoming you like I should've, I've kept myself at a distance.

"I kept telling myself that it was because I didn't wanna take you away from Mira and Elfman, and I didn't wanna let my teammates down by giving you all my attention. I wanted to believe that's why I wasn't making time for you like I should've. But the truth is, I've been scared to face you. When I saw you reunite with Mira and Elfman, how happy the three of you were, it brought back some of the guilt I'd felt before. I should've gone with you guys on that S-Class mission. I should've been there to help, but I didn't fight hard enough against Elfman's decision to not let me go. Even though I told him that you would never blame us and just tell us to smile, I couldn't help but feel responsible myself. That feeling came back when I saw you with your family, because I felt like it was my fault you'd been separated from them. They lost you - and I lost you, for two years, and the guilt I felt made me afraid that maybe, there's a part of you that blames me, too."

Lisanna slid her hand into his as she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. His confession made her feel heavy at first, followed by a sense of weightlessness. Like a burden's final strain before finally being free of it. "Oh, Natsu..." she whispered, barely audible. "I could never blame you for what happened. It was all just an accident. There's no one to fault, least of all you."

He broke into a relieved smile, unaware of how tight he was holding her hand. He dropped his head a little, so his cheek nuzzled against the top of her white locks. Before he was able to get comfortable in the moment, or uncomfortable with the realization of what he was doing, Lisanna stirred, and their eyes met again for an instant before she kissed him.

She had aimed for his cheek, but caught some of the edges of his lips. They turned away, but not before seeing the blush on the other's face, distinguishable even against the orange glow of the fire.

"I'm sorry," she spoke up after a few seconds passed, sounding uncharacteristically meek.

"I-It's okay," he stammered, nervous but tender. Never would he have thought that he'd say something alike to what next came out of his mouth. "That's the kind of thing that wives do, right?"

Lisanna turned back to him, with the most wonderfully bright smile she'd ever given him. For a moment, all he could do was take it in before she replied.

"That was like a million years ago, Natsu," she teased, stealing his line. "You're still as juvenile as ever."

"What?! But you - !" he started, his face turning so red smoke could've flowed from his ears.

She silenced him by holding a finger to his lips. "Quiet now. You'll wake our son," she said, glancing over at Happy, who had rolled in his sleep.

Little did they know, it was so that they didn't notice him holding back a fit of giggles, going against the fiber of his very being to spring in between them and shout, "You _looove_ each other!"

* * *

_I honestly loved writing this, and I hope it shows. I really tried to capture the heart, the essence of Fairy Tail, and it made for the most fun I've had writing in too long. Natsu/Lisanna fans, I hope this one was a real treat for you guys and girls. As always, I'll extend thanks in advance for any reviews you decide to leave; they're very much welcome and encouraged._

_Hope to see you at the next chapter!_


	2. Chapter 2

_So here we are with Chapter 2. While I thought that some of the content of the first chapter could lend itself very well to a oneshot, I decided I wanted a bigger, more encompassing story. Read on, and I hope you guys enjoy the encompassingness (that should totally be a real word)._

* * *

The next morning, the three Fairy Tail wizards gathered their sleeping bags and continued their journey to Hargeon. Not many words were exchanged between Natsu and Lisanna, but there was a difference in the way they smiled at each other. It was more than just a friendly acknowledgement across tables at the guild hall; it was open, uninhibited.

After a little over an hour of walking along the path, Natsu suddenly veered off in a jog, brushing past the shrub. Lisanna and Happy took off after him, asking what the matter was, before they came out into a cliffside clearing, the port city and great ocean down before them.

"We're so close now!" he said eagerly. "Oh, man, I can almost taste that feast!"

Lisanna took in the view of the ocean, gleaming in the morning sunlight. It had been years since she'd visited a beachside town. She found the salty scent that wafted through the air refreshing, and figured that was how Natsu was able to determine their position. She measured the distance from the cliff they stood on, and the borders of Hargeon. "We could probably fly from here the rest of the way," she suggested. "It'd mostly be an easy glide."

"Speak for yourself," Happy grumbled. "You wouldn't be the one carrying him."

"Come on, buddy!" Natsu insisted. "The sooner we get down there, the sooner we can take care of that gang of wild beasts and get our party on!"

With that, Lisanna used her Animal Soul magic to become an elegant white dove. Happy sprouted his wings and grabbed the back of Natsu's vest, and they began to flap away off the cliff. The thermals felt like cushions of air under their wings, the breeze also lending support as they descended into the city. It only took a couple of minutes before they landed in front of the train station, teeming with activity already.

Natsu shot the trains, both arriving and departing, dirty looks to counteract the queasiness in his stomach as Lisanna regained her human form. They didn't make it very far from the station before they heard a voice calling them from across the street.

"Hey! Over here!" an annoyed woman waved them down. She was dressed in a frilly, billowing dress of white and pale pink, and a sparkling tiara around her blonde updo. Her frown exaggerated the lines in her face despite the heavy make-up she was wearing. As the three approached her, it seemed that she remembered to be courteous, giving them a small bow. "Welcome, wizards of Fairy Tail. I'm Miss M, and I'm the one who requested your help."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss M," Lisanna said with a smile. "I see you've already gotten dressed for the feast tonight."

"There's no way I'd ever go to a feast wearing something like this," she mumbled in distaste, then seemed to catch herself again. "I mean, I'm so underdressed! This isn't nearly fabulous enough for such an event!"

Happy and Lisanna turned to each other with curious looks, but Natsu simply folded his arms in front of his chest. "Anyway, where can we find these wild beasts of yours? I'm planning on building up an appetite!"

Miss M gave him a coy grin. "We don't know where they are exactly, or when they'll strike. What I can do for you is take you to where we'll be holding the banquet, so you can be ready to intercept them when they make themselves known."

"How do you know they're gonna attack your feast, anyway?" Happy asked. This hadn't occurred to either of his human companions yet.

Their host scowled at him for an instant, before slipping back into a smile. "A beautiful dark-haired girl from your guild told me when I asked her to read my fortune using magic cards," she answered, the tiniest hint of smugness in her voice. "To be honest, I was hoping she would've been the one to answer my request. That gal seemed like she knew how to party."

"You must be talking about Cana," Natsu said with a smirk. "Don't worry, we're pretty fun, too."

"Aye!"

As Miss M lead them through the streets on their way to the banquet hall, Lisanna converged with her teammates. "Do you guys have a weird feeling about all this, too?" she whispered. "I mean, doesn't something seem off about Miss M? And the way Erza was acting when she asked us to take on this job... I'm starting to get some strange vibes."

"This is kinda weird," Happy agreed. "Didn't the reporter in the forest mention something about Wendy and Gajeel talking about a secret plan? What if that's somehow connected to what we're doing here?"

Natsu shrugged. "Everything seems fine to me," he said obliviously. "You guys are just being paranoid."

Miss M, after navigating through a complex series of turns to a more isolated area of the town, stopped before a gated entrance. On the other side stood a quaint building, where they could see tables of food, barrels of alcohol and brilliant ice sculptures being rolled inside by a team of workers through a side entrance. "This is the House of M," she declared proudly. "As you can see, we are preparing for the dinner now. Just a few more hours until it starts!"

"What're you celebrating, anyway?" Lisanna asked. "It must be something big if you're going all out like this."

Miss M glanced off into the distance for a second, a frown on her face. "It's a surprise party for some friends of mine that I'm helping get together," she answered, sounding distracted. She then winced, as if someone was yelling in her ear.

"If this party's meant for someone else, then why would you offer to make us the guests of honor?" Happy asked.

Again, there was a pause before Miss M spoke. "Because - oh no! The wild beasts are here!" she suddenly cried, pointing behind the trio. In one quick motion, she opened the gate, slipped into the other side, and shut it, running into the building. "Good luck!"

They turned around to find two large, imposing monsters. One of them was a Gorian, its familiar dumb grin easily recognizable as the type of creature that would harass them in the forest when they were younger. The other was slightly shorter and more humanoid in appearance, but equally as muscular as its companion. It was evidently female, with pink shoulder-length hair, and its two-piece black and white clothing designed to keep its modesty. It also must've been in captivity at some point, because it had broken shackles on its wrists.

"You know, when they said we'd be dealing with a gang, I didn't expect just two of them," Happy said, scratching his ear.

"Finally!" Natsu smirked wildly, cracking his flaming knuckles. "Let's show these guys what Fairy Tail wizards can do!"

"Yeah! Animal Soul: Cat!" Lisanna shouted, taking on her preferred battle form. She hissed at their enemies, claws at the ready.

The pair of beasts charged at the wizards, but they acrobatically jumped over their swinging arms. Lisanna struck at the pink-haired one with a blinding flurry of her swipes, sending it flying back. She was prepared to follow up her attack, but was surprised to see that her opponent was already down for the count.

Natsu, looking to exact revenge for his childhood dealings with the Gorians, showed no mercy as he lunged at the beast. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he cried, punching it in the gut without any measure of restraint. It flew back with great force - enough to send it crashing through the front gate, and into the House of M.

Needless to say, it toppled shortly thereafter, but not before Miss M and the slew of servers managed to escape the collapse. After the dust and dirt cleared, the three wizards were shocked to find Lucy, Gray, and their other Fairy Tail friends were the ones dressed as workers.

"What the -? Where did you all come from?" Natsu asked, temper flaring. "You better not be here to try to get in on our food reward!"

Lisanna walked up to the group, which was adding in its numbers with the arrival of three figures from down the street. It was Mira, Erza, and a sharply-dressed wizard with dirty-blond hair. "What's really going on here, guys?"

Lucy stepped in front of everyone, her smile the biggest of all. "Well, here's the thing," she began slowly. "I noticed that ever since you came back from Edolas, Lisanna, you and Natsu haven't been as close as you were a few years ago. So, I came up with this fake job request to rekindle that fire, so to speak."

"Fake?!" they echoed.

The Celestial mage nodded. "I wasn't around at the time, but everyone who was told me that the two of you were almost inseparable growing up. But for whatever reason, none of us have seen you interact all that much since you returned. No one is surprised that you'd spend a lot of time with Elfman and Mira, but even then, you and Natsu were just as close, right?"

Being at the center of everyone's smiles, with the truth of their plan dawning on them, Natsu and Lisanna couldn't help but blush and avoid everyone's gazes.

"And that's when I decided that the two of you needed some alone time together," Lucy continued, grin widening even more. "I came up with a brilliant plan to make that happen, if I do say so myself. But I was gonna need some help from the rest of the guild - and even outside of it, too.

"First, I thought of a job that would involve fighting and food, Natsu's favorite things. What better way to combine the two than having to defend a feast? Just like any performance, we were gonna need props for the set. So, I had Reedus draw up the food you saw being taken into the house, and those ice sculptures for flair? Gray's doing, of course."

Miss M took a few steps forward, holding a mug of beer, and was enveloped by a glow. When the light dissipated, Cana stood in her place, grinning as she gulped her drink down. "When Lucy asked if I could act as the client, she told me it was because there wasn't anyone better for an improvisational role. She chose my costume after she looked through my transformation cards, giving me the gaudiest look she could. The real killer, though, was not being able to drink to keep the smell of alcohol from giving me away."

"Even if you didn't smell like alcohol, I'd still know the rest of you were all here in that house," Natsu said pointedly, still not looking at any faces. "How were you able to mask your scents?"

"Lucy sent us to visit Blue Pegasus to borrow some of Mr. Ichiya's parfums," Wendy said brightly, stepping up with Carla at her feet. "She knew you'd figure us out right away if we didn't do anything to hide us from your nose."

"Blondie asked us to tag along with the kid, to keep those Blue Pegasus punks in check," Gajeel said gruffly, Pantherlily nodding in confirmation.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," the wizard Lisanna didn't recognize spoke up in disdain. When he turned to her, it was with a kind smile. "I'm Hibiki, from Blue Pegasus. When I heard about Lucy's plan, I came back with your guildmates, thinking she could use some help in keeping things organized. Using my Archive magic, I found this vacant house for us to use for the set, and I've been telepathically directing everyone to make sure things went as smoothly as possible. Of course, some of our cues weren't exactly on time."

It was at this moment that the crowd of Fairy Tail members parted to make way for the hobbling duo of beasts they had just fought. The Gorian shrunk down in a glow to become Elfman, while the other reverted back into Virgo's petite maiden form.

"Only a real man was gonna play the part of the wild beasts!" he declared boldly, despite wincing as he held his midsection. For his little sister's happiness, taking one of Natsu's signature blows was a price he would gladly pay. It was the least he could do for the two. "It's disgraceful that only Lucy's Celestial Spirit was also man enough for the job!"

"I'm happy to serve you, Princess," Virgo said, bowing her head. "Please, do not hesitate in punishing me again."

"This wasn't supposed to be a punishment!" Lucy cried. Softening up, she held up Virgo's key, allowing her contracted spirit to return to her home in the Celestial World. "I really do appreciate the help, though, so thanks." She turned back to Natsu and Lisanna, continuing her explanation. "After we sorted all those roles out, the next step was getting you to actually accept the job. There was only one person I could turn to to create a request flier that no one would suspect as fake."

Levy smiled as Lucy extended her arm towards her. "Just doing what I could to lend a hand," she said modestly, even as Jet and Droy celebrated her greatness.

"Lucy originally asked Mirajane if she could be the one to suggest the mission to the two of you, but once I got word of her plan, I just knew that I too needed a role to play," Erza said, her eyes alight for her love of performance.

"I couldn't say no to Erza when she asked if she could take my place, and of course you two wouldn't say no when she'd ask you to take the job," Mira said sweetly. "I was happy with just making sure everything went as planned in the guild hall, like you being at the request board when Natsu arrived."

For a few seconds, everyone remained silent as the two absorbed everything they had been told. "You guys did all this... for us?" Lisanna asked. She was still having trouble believing the lengths her friends had gone to. All that planning and coordination, just to allow her and Natsu to go on an ersatz adventure together.

"That's right," Lucy replied, a legion of nodding behind her. "Everyone that's been at the guild for years knew there was something special between the two of you. I've seen hints of it myself whenever I saw you watching her from across the room, Natsu - there's a gentleness there that I've never seen out of you before. But I also noticed hesitation and longing, and that's what we all hoped you would overcome on this mission."

The guild members all expected Natsu to say something, but he only stood there, head low to keep his expression inscrutable. Some thought he was enraged and ready to explode, while others figured the boy was just too embarrassed to offer any words. Lisanna also refrained from speaking up on their behalf, but at the very least she appeared grateful for their efforts.

"I bet you guys all want the details on what happened in the forest last night," Happy said knowingly, trying to raise the suspension. Judging from the looks on their faces, it worked. "It's too bad they'll never tell you, and I was asleep, so I guess you'll never know."

The crowd groaned, while Natsu and Lisanna felt relief in not being exposed. It was a nice thing they had done for the childhood friends, but some things were better kept between the most special of relationships. Happy was more than happy to rub that fact in.

"We understand," said Erza. "You have no obligation to explain yourselves. We only hope that we were able to help bridge a gap between two old friends."

Scenes from the previous night replayed in their minds, from the way their fingers interlocked as they held hands, to the surge of awkward excitement after their first kiss. In a rather telling hint, the two shared a quick smile, resulting in a grand cheer from their friends.

"Hold on a sec," Natsu said darkly, his demeanor changing instantly as he scowled at the crowd. "Before you start going crazy, I just have one question about this fake plan: is there really no feast?!"

Lucy grinned, motioning to the wreckage behind her. "I had a feeling this place would be going down in true Natsu fashion, so there was never supposed to be a feast here." Her teammate's expression turned sorrowful and disappointed, prompting her to wink at him. "Back at the guild, though, I might've asked the master if he could have something arranged for us when we got back."

Now the Dragon Slayer and the Exceed joined in on the cheering, yelling the loudest of all. Lisanna giggled at the scene.

**\- 0 -**

Just a few hours later, the guild hall back in Magnolia was in an upheaval of celebration. Natsu got over his motion sickness from the train ride home in record time, gobbling up fire and food alike. Lisanna displayed superior table manners beside him, and would've playfully chided him if they weren't still the major focus of the room.

As the festivities wore on, people broke away into subsections of the party. They were glad to have a little more breathing room, but they still weren't clear of their best friends, who gawked at them from the table across the walkway, murmuring about how happy they looked. Wendy pointed out they might be happier if they didn't stare at them the whole time, but of course, that bit of youthful clarity went unregarded.

"Hey, Natsu," Lisanna said softly. If he hadn't been next to her, he doubted he would've been able to hear her.

"Yeah?" he asked, taking a sip from a flaming mug.

"No matter what the guild thinks, nothing's changed." Her smile was apprehensive. "We're still the same Natsu and Lisanna we've always been. We don't need to act any differently, okay?"

"Okay," he said slowly, uncertain of what exactly she was getting at. "What about last night? Does that mean you don't wanna... you know...?"

Lisanna blushed. "I - maybe we can talk about that some other time. When it's just the two of us," she said, looking up at Happy, who was doing an unconvincing job of pretending he didn't know what they were talking about.

Just then, a shirtless Gray strode over to their table, grinning at the two. "I was wondering, Natsu," he began, quickly glancing at Lucy. "Are you gonna start letting Lisanna wear your scarf?"

"What? Igneel gave me this scarf!" he protested. After a second, he wondered whether he'd really be okay with allowing the white-haired girl beside him to be an exception, and was surprised to realize he actually wasn't entirely bothered by the idea. Her smile then reminded him of what they'd just talked about, however, so his answer stood.

Gray shot Lucy a smug grin, whose head sunk as she muttered something about her rent money. "I didn't think getting a girlfriend would make you give up that scarf," he said, speaking very casually for someone who had just done away with his pants in the blink of an eye.

Before Natsu could verbally bite his head off for his comment and the nudity, Lisanna asked with a big smile, "By the way, Gray, have you seen Juvia around?"

The ice mage turned stonefaced at the name. "Oh, man. I knew there was someone I forgot to let in on the plan."

On cue, the doors burst open, revealing a Juvia furious enough to set the entire partying guild on pause.

"I will not give up my darling Gray so easily to you!" she exclaimed, pointing at a confused Lucy. With a rampaging cry, she set off a massive tidal wave that swept throughout the entire floor level of the hall, cries ringing out as everyone was caught in the torrent.

When the water cleared, the first thing Natsu saw was Juvia cradling a dazed Gray, muttering an apology for being caught in her storm of love. He then felt awfully bare as he sat up, and turned to see Lisanna doing the same a few feet away, his scarf draped across her shoulders.

Once she noticed it, she immediately slipped it off, and wrung it of the excess water before holding it out to him. His first instinct was to take it back, but for some reason, he found himself speaking instead. "It looks good on you," he said quietly.

"That... counts..." Lucy was heard faintly.

Gildarts chuckled, watching the scene from the second floor with Happy, who had escaped the wave by flying upwards. He held out his mug as a toast as he shared a grin with the cat, briefly picturing the pair as the children he once knew them as.

Lisanna wrapped the scarf around herself again, but it was left slightly askew. A fold poked up to cover her mouth, which irked him. He reached over to smooth it out, revealing a smile just as beautiful as the one she'd given him the night before. Again, all he could do was take it in, with a smile of his own.

* * *

_And that's the end of the story, folks. I do wish that I didn't have to keep all the other characters relegated to such small roles, but that was the nature of the fic, I suppose. In any case, I'm very proud of my work here, even more so with how much I enjoyed writing it out. I hope to anyone that reads this enjoyed it as well, and some advanced thanks go out to those that drop a review, as well. It's always such a reward to hear what the audience thinks, so if you'd be so kind, I'd be very grateful._


End file.
